An ultra-modern electricity dispatch centre is to be built in Nairobi’s Embakasi area after the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) took over the role from conflicted Kenya Power earlier this year.
The National System Control Centre (NSCC) is currently located on Nairobi’s Juja Road and had been run by Kenya Power until January when the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) stripped it of the role of a system operator.
A system operator controls the mix of electricity from different producers supplied to the national grid to primarily ensure grid stability and that consumers get the cheaper option.
The operator also matches the demand for power from consumers with electrical energy availability, maintaining the security of the electric power system and arranging for the dispatch process.
Energy Act 2019 stripped the utility of the role to eliminate conflict of interest by requiring the system operator to be a neutral player that is not involved in buying or selling electricity.
“Ketraco is the designated system operator in the power sub-sector pursuant to Section 138 of the Energy Act, 2019 and is currently developing a new state-of-the-art NSCC,” said the firm.
Ketraco was also charged with keeping records of the quantity and quality of electricity supplied to the grid in a bid to end the secrecy Kenya Power held over its use of the merit order.
This is after Kenya Power increasingly came under pressure in recent years over its running of the grid amid accusations that it had put a lid on the grid operations to avoid scrutiny.
A task force appointed by then President Uhuru Kenyatta last year to investigate the causes of high power cost and to prescribe cures accused Kenya Power of denying it access to NSCC data.
The Presidential Taskforce on Power Purchase Agreements Reforms revealed that senior managers at Kenya Power denied it access to crucial data from the NCC, which deprived it of insight into whether the company had been dispatching power to the grid on merit.
Over the years, the firm has been accused of prioritising the dispatch of expensive power from independent power producers at the expense of cheaper power especially from the State-owned KenGen denying Kenyans cheaper electricity.
“The use of a system operator is expected to enhance accountability in the merit order dispatch process,” task force chairman boardroom veteran John Ngumi said in its final report.
The task force also recommended the total transfer of the power transmission role from Kenya Power to Ketraco to allow the former to focus on electricity distribution to consumers.
Kenya Power is currently doing both long-distance high-voltage transmission and distribution of electricity despite the formation of Ketraco to exclusively undertake the former role.
The firm still owns and operates the power transmission network that was built decades ago before the establishment of Ketraco.
The government this year said the process will see more than 1,200 staff from Kenya Power transferred to the power transmission firm.
The completion of the process has been delayed for months due to the valuation of the power transmission assets Kenya Power to complete the transfer.
The government owns a 50.1 percent controlling stake in the utility firm, which is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE).
